Neil Whitaker reports
YORKSHIRE Carnegie beat Middlesex Panthers by five runs in a thrilling finish to maintain their lead at the top of Conference B in front of a full house at sundrenched Scarborough.
Chasing 251 to the Panthers looked out of it when their eighth wicket fell and they still needed 57 from six overs but Panthers skipper Neil Dexter and Toby Roland-Jones put on 51 for the ninth wicket in 37 balls as they fell six runs short of victory.
The Carnegie reached 250 for six in their 40 overs thanks to Jacques Rudolph’s third century in this year’s Clydesdale 40 competition. He carried his bat and ended on 124 with nine fours from 108 balls.
Andrew Gale won the toss and elected to bat and set off at blistering pace and the Carnegie reached 50 without loss in the eighth over. Then Gale who had looked in no trouble pulled Roland-Jones to Tom Scully at deep square leg for 36. Two overs later Adam Lyth top edged a cut and skied the ball to Owais Shah at point off Roland –Jones for three.
At this point the Carnegie fans who were thinking of a run feast thought they would be lucky to see anything beyond 200. But a third wicket partnership between Rudolph and Anthony McGrath eased their doubts. They put on 138 in 23 overs. McGrath who made 68 from 75 balls with six fours, cut Tim Murtagh to Dawid Malan at point.
The Carnegie then suffered a mini collapse three wickets in three overs for seven overs. In their batting power play they only scored 18 runs but some hefty hitting and quick running from Rudolph and Tim Bresnan saw the Carnegie to 250. For the Panthers, Murtagh was the pick of their bowlers with three wickets in his eight overs which included the only maiden of the innings.
In the Panthers reply John Simpson on danced down the wicket to Steve Patterson in the fifth over, miscued his drive and the ball went the air where Lyth at point could hold on as he ran backwards despite having three attempts. Three overs later he pulled Bresnan easily for a six into the crowd at square leg, the next ball he stroked him a graceful for a four through the covers. But with the first ball of the bowling power play he played across the line and was leg before to Adil Rashid for 17.
Scott Newman opened his shoulders and he clipped Richard Pyrah off his legs for a four through mid wicket and the next ball he hit him for a six through long on. He cut Ben Sanderson to bring up his fifty of 44 balls with four fours and two sixes.
With Shah he added 54 in 10 overs but the partnership was broken when Shah tried to sweep McGrath’s first ball and was bowled for 23. Malan reverse swept Rashid and was bowled for 17. Newman was the next to go in the next over when leg before to Bresnan for 77. Made from 70 balls and included three sixes. Gareth Berg swept Rashid and McGrath took a running catch at short third man. Rashid finished with three wickets for 28 in his eight overs.
In the 30th over Scully was leg before to McGrath for 10. The Panthers had lost four wickets in five overs for 21 runs. Three overs later Shaun Udal was bowled by Patterson for 10. Murtagh was the eighth wicket to fall when he lofted Richard Pyrah to McGrath at mid off.
Panthers skipper Neil Dexter reached his fifty from 39 balls with six fours. Dexter was unbeaten on 56 and Roland-Jones was not out on 23.
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